Jesse Jackson - Potential Co-Representative for Jockey's Guild

Here are some quotes from Jesse when he spoke in Louisville yesterday. You can also check them out at bloodhorse.

"At the end of the day, you get some roses, but someone else gets the money," Jackson said, apparently in reference to the Kentucky Derby (gr. I). "You have to say, 'Pay me for the risk I take. Pay me for the excellent athlete I am.' "

Jackson also questioned the widely accepted status of jockeys as independent contractors. "It's a long word meaning semi-indentured servant," he said. "Contractors have contracts with benefits."

Following his meeting with Guild members, Jackson fielded questions from the media. He said his interest in jockeys is two-fold: He is intrigued by the history of black riders in the United States, and also because "in the evolution of the industry, jockeys were left behind. Of all the professional athletes who are artists that engage in high-risk activity, jockeys are the least protected."

"That's an old system," Jackson said of the independent contractor status. "These owners, (if they are involved in) other industries, their janitors aren't independent contractors. They know better. They'll do this as long as they can get away with it.